Rachel Colls

Dr. Rachel Colls is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at Durham University and a Fellow of the Institute for Medical Humanities. Her research focuses on geographies of the body, feminist theories of embodiment, obesity critiques, consumption practices, and clothing. She has published extensively on bodily politics, fat activism, and public health discourses.

• PhD & MA in Geography (University of Sheffield)

Her work interrogates the sociomaterialities of fat bodies, bodily governance through BMI metrics, and affective experiences in retail and educational spaces. Recent publications address air travel accessibility and feminist pedagogies. She supervises postgraduate students and collaborates on interdisciplinary projects concerning bodily rights and health policies.

Key article trends include critical obesity studies, feminist interventions in human geography, and the politics of bodily representation across spatial contexts. She employs qualitative methodologies informed by Judith Butler, Elisabeth Grosz, and non-representational theory.

• Supervised: Rosie Haffenden (MRes)